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5 Countries You Wouldn't Have Thought Are Less Corrupt Than Malta

Malta is more corrupt than it has ever been, according to the 2016 Corruption Perception Index. The index ranks the least corrupt countries at the top and the most corrupt at the bottom. Malta started off in a respectable 25th place back in 2004 but has now slipped to 47th place. Malta's ranking is now officially worse than a range of countries from all over the world, including these five.

1. Georgia

Corruption has been an issue in Georgia ever since the post-Soviet decades. Back in 2003, Georgia "had a reputation for corruption that was second to none in Eurasia", according to Foreign Policy. In the last decade, however, Georgia has tried to bust corruption and improve its reputation. It seems to have worked, as Georgia is now 44th on the ranking, gaining five points in one year.

2. Brunei

Over the last year, Brunei has had to introduce new corruption laws to try and tackle widespread public office power abuse. This came about as a result of various cases of public officers interfering or influencing other public officials' appointments, promotions, suspensions, demotions and dismissals. For 2014 and 2015, Brunei didn't even have a listed score in the Corruption Perceptions Index, but for 2016, it actually ranked better than Malta, in 41st place.

3. Botswana

Botswana may be Zimbabwe's neighbour, but ranking 35th on the CPI index, it is officially even less corrupt than Malta was last year, before we fell 10 places.

4. Chile

In 2016, Chile was hit with a big presidential corruption scandal. Accusations and charges were mounted against high-profile politicians, their assistants, and even their family members for accepting bribes over the last decade. Chile suffered the consequences by losing four points on last year's CPI... and yet, they ranked 23 places better than Malta.

5. Qatar

If you search for corruption references involving Qatar, you'll find plenty of references to their bid for the 2022 World Cup. But Qatar's score of 61 out of 100 and its ranking as 31st still pales in comparison to Malta, which sits far lower on the list.

What do you think of Malta's most recent "accomplishment"? Let us know in the comments below.